Monday, February 14, 2011

Lena Seikaly is an American singer from a Palestinian heritage. She is not just a singer, she is a Jazz singer, one of the finest in the business. Washington DC is the home of this artist as well as the home of many Jazz legends. Clubs like U Street Bohemian Caverns where stars of the likes of Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Cab Calloway, Count Basie, and Thelonious Monk have graced its stage. Since this is a blog about music, we like to cover artists of all walks of life, Lena came to mind as a fixture of the Washington DC Jazz scene.

Lena Seikaly, started her classical training at age of 4 and moved up in the ranks until she joined as a vocalists a number of DC ensembles where she made a great impression. Lena is also an accomplished, classically-trained mezzo soprano. She has studied for the past four years from world-renowned bass-baritone Francois Loup at the University of Maryland School of Music. Per Lena's website,

Professionally, Lena has sung with various choirs, including the Schola Cantorum at Washington D.C.'s Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle (specializing in early sacred music), the Washington Chorus, and several ensembles associated with the Catholic University and the University of Maryland. She formerly served, and now again serves as the alto soloist and section leader at Westmoreland Congregational Church in Bethesda, Maryland. An avid educator, Lena has worked as a private teacher of jazz and classical voice, beginning piano and beginning guitar in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia for several years. She was the vocal jazz instructor at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts during the 2008-2009 school year. Beginning in 2010, Lena has been leading educational workshops for jazz vocalists at the Strathmore Music Center.

I know Jazz music is a very American music and the African American community prides itself in being the driving force behind it. Well many Europeans came to love Jazz music and so did many in all parts of the world. To see a star with an international background excel in this music is rather refreshing.

I was able to see Lena perform live in a number of occasions, most recently at the Jerusalem Fund in Washington DC at an art Gallery opening and I was pleased by her grace most of all. There is no doubt Lena Seikaly has the talent and the voice that make her special in every sense of the word.